Billy McComb

Billy McComb, who has died aged 84, was one of Britain's leading magicians in the 1950s and 60s, and crossed the Atlantic regularly as a cruise-ship entertainer till he took up residence in California in the 1970s.

Born in Belfast, he was the son of a physician father who was knighted for X-ray research. His family had medical ambitions for him, too, and he graduated as a doctor in 1949, but instead he developed the talent he had discovered at school as a magician and comedy entertainer. He began to make a name for himself in Ireland and came to the notice of the wider magical community in Britain, soon making his mark in London, in the flourishing cabaret scene in the West End.

Billy married June Cochrane, a former Miss Ireland, and they became a sought-after duo. He constructed a magical act for her as June Merlin, "The Bewitching Witch". Billy had a number of TV series and was on the bill with Bob Hope at the Prince of Wales Theatre, London. To hold large audiences at the Palladium he needed more than baffling tricks and, billed as "the world's largest leprechaun", made full use of his gift for the blarney.

After his move to Los Angeles, he made over 300 appearances on television and in the movies. And in his 80s, he performed regularly in Las Vegas.

He was happiest chatting with fellow magicians - at the Magic Circle he was always surrounded by a group of eager listeners as he generously dispensed his advice, and he was one of the Circle's elite honorary members.

Billy leaves a library of videos and DVDs, along with his classic book McComb's Magic: 25 Years Wiser. He is survived by June, now resident in Spain, where she became established as a painter. Their son, Sean, died in 2002.